Bear Digest

NFL reveals Divisional Round kickoff time that greatly benefits Bears over Rams

The Bears will host the Rams Saturday night at Soldier Field with wind chills predicted to be below zero.
Richie Whitt|
Bear Weather
Bear Weather | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago BearsLos Angeles Rams

As the NFL has revealed the times for next weekend's Divisional Round games, the Chicago Bears couldn't be any happier.

Coming Sunday: The biggest stage, accented by the lowest temperatures.

MORE: Was Caleb Williams 4th-down throw to help beat Packers the best pass in Bears' history?

The Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams in the last game of the weekend, Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Solider Field on NBC. With sunset on Sunday set for 4:47 p.m., it will be a night game. And it will be played in Chicago's coldest weather of 2026. The forecast calls for temperatures in the low teens and with winds up to 20 mph, making for wind chills below zero.

Welcome Rams, to "Bear Weather." It will likely be one of the 10 coldest games in Soldier Field history.

The term is obviously a myth. Yes, the Rams play indoors at SoFi Stadium in sunny southern California and the Bears are more accustomed to practicing and playing in the cold. But the fact is that Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams played at USC, receiver Rome Odunze at Washington and running back D'Andre Swift at Georgia. Not exactly cold-weather DNA.

But the Bears - who are 3.5-point home underdogs - will try to accentuate any perceived advantage this week.

The Bears have played in a couple of cold-weather games at Soldier Field this season, though the temperatures for their last three have been 37, 33 and 32 degrees. The Rams and Matthew Stafford, however, have seen nothing remotely close to the weather they'll face Saturday night.

Their "coldest" game of the season was 45 degrees in Charlotte against the Panthers on Nov. 30. In their win over the Panthers in last weekend's Wild Card, it was a balmy72. The last time they played a game that was below 20 degrees was 2022, when they lost to the Packers at Lambeau Field.

MORE: Stubborn oddsmakers open Bears as big home underdogs to Rams in Divisional Round

Since Stafford became their quarterback in 2021, they are 1-2 in games played in 35 degrees are colder. This will be the Rams' first trip to Soldier Field in January since 1985.

Bring on the primetime audience. Bring on the cold.

Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.

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